


Red and White Striped Socks

by Lapin_Calins



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Domestic Bliss, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Fluff without Plot, Gen, Happy Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-28
Updated: 2018-03-28
Packaged: 2019-04-14 01:21:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14125050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lapin_Calins/pseuds/Lapin_Calins
Summary: On a nice sunny day Lucas had one simple task, to do the laundry, that's all Kun had asked of him. But because of warm blankets and a clumsy cat, one little mistake might turn out bigger than he had thought it was.





	Red and White Striped Socks

Kun was enjoying a nice, calm afternoon. He seldom had the time to sit down and have a cup of coffee and midday snack, but today was his lucky day. While he read a book Johnny had leant him, Lucas snoozed on the couch; both were content, as the dorm was warm and quiet, two things that rarely came about. Usually the dorm was quite chilly in March, and often there were many people milling in and out. Today it was just Lucas and Kun, and the weather was pleasantly warm, bright rays of sunlight filtering in through the windows. When Kun glanced at his watch, he sighed in annoyance. He needed to leave, he had an important meeting with his manager and a few other people soon, and he needed to get ready to leave. So much for his calm afternoon in. Well, he figured, he might as well get going, and that started with trying to wake the drowsy boy on the couch. 

“Lucas!”

“…..” 

“Lucas…?”

“…..”

“LUCAS!”

“…..”

“Xuxi, I’m not going to ask again.” 

With those words, Kun began to count down from three, giving the younger one last chance to respond. Just before he got to one, said boy’s head popped up from over the back of the couch. Lucas’ hair was messy, the back sticking up and his bangs pushed to one side. He raised a fist to rub the sleep from his eyes, settling his chin on the back of the couch. When he finally did speak, it came out as a whine.

“Whaaaat?” 

His eyes remained closed, head beginning to tilt to the side to rest his cheek against the top of the couch back, beginning to fall back asleep. Seeing this, Kun rolled his eyes and snapped his fingers twice, successfully rousing the younger. 

“Xuxi, pay attention when I’m talking to you.”

Lucas scrunched up his nose and stuck out his tongue, but made it apparent that he was listening. Kun took a moment to stir his coffee, leaning back in his chair; he was waiting to see whether or not Lucas would be able to stay awake long enough to have a conversation. He watched the younger from his place at the kitchen table, and he had to admit a sleepy Lucas was a cute Lucas. After half a minute of silence, said boy wiggled in irritation, wanting to return to his nap as quickly as possible. The effects of dreamland were wearing off and he wasn’t ready to come back to reality just yet. 

“Hyung, please make this quick, I wanna go back to sleep.”

Kun grinned but decided to stop teasing.

“I’m going to be heading out. I need to meet with a few people about a few things, but I’ll pick up dinner.”

Lucas perked up at that, eyes opening for the first time as he bounced excitedly.

“Can I pick what we get? Please?” 

The please was an afterthought, added to hopefully ensure that he got to make the decision. Kun was the one paying, so really he didn’t have to let his dongsaeng decide what the meal would be; but with the look Lucas was sending him, all puppy dog eyes and a slight pout, he had to cave. 

“Fine, fine. What are you in the mood for?”

“Pizza!”

The elder groaned. All Lucas ever wanted was pizza, and after having it so often he had really grown sick of it, but he supposed one more night of it couldn’t hurt. 

“Alright, but this is the last time!”

Lucas nodded fervently, a smile stretching across his face as he opened his mouth, words of thanks already forming on his lips. Before he could get them out, Kun was cutting him off by holding up a finger.

“But! I need you do something.”

Lucas groaned, flopping back down onto the couch cushions. Why did there have to be conditions for choosing dinner? 

“Hyung, whyyyy?”

On and on, he went. Kun frowned. Lucas was being very over dramatic, and he hadn’t even told him what he had wanted him to do yet. Getting up from his seat, Kun gathered the dish he had been eating his muffin off of and his coffee mug. Heading towards the sink he cut Lucas off with another snap of the fingers. 

“Alright, alright. I know you want to take another nap, but all I’m asking of you is to do this one thing. That isn’t too much, now is it?”

Kun’s back was to Lucas so he couldn’t see the face he was making when he popped back over the back of the couch. But Kun was right. It really wasn’t asking much at all, but in truth, he really just didn’t want to much of anything at the moment. 

Begrudgingly, he replied, “No, hyung. What do you want me to do?”

“The laundry.”

The next wave of groans and whines was truly irritating, and Kun decided that enough was enough. He had to leave soon anyway, and negotiating with a whiny Lucas would only waste more time. Settling his dishes in the drying rack after cleaning them off, Kun turned to grab his jacket and bag that hung off of the chair he had been sitting in. 

“All you need to do is put the white clothes in the washing machine, and take the dark ones out of the dryer, okay? I’ll ask Jungwoo to fold them, you won’t have to do much.”

Once he had his jacket on and had his bag slung over his shoulder, he looked up with a grin.

“Can you agree to that?”

It was really a pretty generous offer, but Lucas didn’t want to agree so readily after whining for a good five minutes. 

“...Maybe. As long as you bring home pizza?”

The elder sniffed a smile at that, ruffling Lucas’ hair as passed by on his way to the door.

“Sure, no problem. Just have it done by the time I get home. I’ll be picking up Jungwoo from practice so he’ll be home for dinner as well. I’ll be home in a few hours, I’ll see you then.”

With that Kun stepped out the door, and Lucas flopped back down onto the cushions. He would have dropped off into dreamland once more, but Kun’s task was itching at the back of his mind. He didn’t want to forget it and risk not getting pizza. He had been in a similar situation when he once refused to do the dishes and Kun had made him have salad instead of the delicious stew he had been waiting all week for. Jungwoo had taken pity on him and saved him a small bowl to have afterwards, but it wasn’t much. He didn’t want a repeat of it; after all, salad was gross. With this new motivation in mind, Lucas managed to drag himself off of the couch and trudge down the hall to the laundry room. Pushing open the door, he smiled as he spotted a cat lazing in the sunshine on the window ledge in. Jungwoo likes to feed the cats that live in the unit below them, and they often come to perch on the ledge, hoping for treats. Their owner always complains that they’re gaining weight and Jungwoo won’t admit that it’s because of him. It seemed he had been feeding them this morning and had forgotten to close the window. This particular cat’s name was Minnie, and Lucas was quite fond of her. 

“Hey honey, how’s that sun treating you?” He mumbled, gently scratching the top of the felines’ head. Minnie leaned into his touch, and Lucas made sure to be very gentle when petting her. When Jungwoo had first let him feed and pet the cats, he had been to loud and rough, startling them which led to him getting his hand scratched up. Since then he had always been as quiet as he could and and made sure to be very soft, and over time he gained their trust. Now they loved him as well, especially Minnie. Lucas gazed down at her with kind eyes, grinning gently at the way she yawned and stretched before settling back down. She continued to nap in her little patch of sunlight on the ledge, and Lucas longed to be doing the same. He was torn from this little day dream by the dryer buzzer going off, the loud sound startling them both. When he looked back from the machine, he was dismayed to find that Minnie had leapt off the ledge and was climbing down the fire escape and into the window of her owners apartment. 

_“Oh well,” ___

__He might as well do the laundry if he wanted to get back to his nap. He made his way over to where the pile of white clothing sat in its basket by the door and began to gather what he could into his arms, humming a soft tune. He tossed towels and socks into the washing machine and quick work of it; he was soon pouring in fabric softener, nearly finished. As he was setting the dial for the wash time, he dropped the detergent pod and it bounced off to the other side of the room. When Lucas bent over to pick it up, he noticed he had stepped in something. Dirt was sprinkled across the the toes of his socks; when he looked over to the windowsill, he noticed that Minnie must have knocked over a potted plant that had sat on the ledge. Dirt was piled on the ground and since he stepped in it, there was a trail of dirty footprints tracked all over the floor. Groaning, he peeled off the dirty socks and tossed them into the wash, making his way down the hall in search of wipes and paper towels. The only thing Lucas had failed to notice, was that his socks were red with white stripes._ _

__….._ _

__Once the laundry room floor was clean and the pot was set back on the ledge, Lucas was able to start the washing machine and begin unloading the dryer. As soon as he had opened the door to the appliance, he was hit by a wave of warmth and nearly melted. Grabbing a blanket and wrapping himself in it, he sighed contentedly at being enveloped in what felt like literal sunshine. He quickly pulled out the rest and stuffed it in a basket before dashing back to the living room. Now that his chore was completed, he leapt onto the couch and cocooned himself in the toasty blanket. All tucked in and very, very comfortable, it took Lucas barely a minute to fall back asleep. While he dreamt, the washing machine sloshed and churned down the hall, its contents undergoing a slight transformation._ _

__….._ _

__“Lucas, we’re home!” Kun singsonged, bustling through the door with a large pizza box in hand, Ten and Jungwoo trailing in behind him. It had been a few hours since the eldest’s departure, and now he had returned with their precious meal in hand. While his dongsaengs busied themselves with taking off their coats and playfully bickering, Kun looked for the youngest in the dorm at the moment. Peeking over the back of the couch, he found him looking as cute as he had when he had left. Lucas had managed to tuck his giant self into a blanket roll, curled on his side with his face pressed against the couch cushions. He looked so sweet, and Kun couldn’t help but grin. He turned to set the pizza on the table, calling out to Ten, “Would you wake Lucas up for dinner? He’ll get cranky if I do it.”_ _

__Ten agreed, and made his way over to the couch while Jungwoo began to set the table. Shaking the youngers’ shoulder gently, Ten softly cooed at him until he began to stir. Soon enough Lucas was blinking open his blurry eyes that now settled on the elder._ _

__“Ten-hyung? I didn’t know you were going to be home tonight for dinner,”_ _

__Ten could only smile as he patted the youngers’ cheek and helped pull him up and out of the blanket he was wrapped in._ _

__“My lesson ended early, so hyung picked me up so I could have dinner with you guys at the dorm. Anyway, come on and get up. It’s time for dinner, it’s pizza, your favorite!”_ _

__Suddenly remembering the delicious meal he had been promised, Lucas scrambled off of the couch, nearly tripping on the blanket as he went. Ten could only chuckle at his antics as he followed him to the kitchen table, ready for pizza himself. While they began to dish out the steaming slices onto plates, Kun remembered the load of laundry when seeing the white place mats that were set out._ _

__“Ah! Jungwoo, could go and put the whites in the dryer? They can dry during dinner and then you can fold them after,”_ _

__Jungwoo nodded with the same soft smile that always seemed to be settled on his lips and made his way down the hall to the laundry room as asked. He listened to the clinking of silverware and Lucas’ loud laugh as he opened the door, still smiling. A draft hit him once the door swung open and he shivered, spotting the source immediately. He had left the window open this morning in his rush to get to practice on time after feeding his neighbors cats. Closing and locking it with a sharp click, he turned to the washing machine. He was ready to begin loading the clothes into the dryer, when he paused after opening the lid. Looking inside, he blinked. He closed his eyes, hoping what he saw wasn’t what he thought it was. Sadly when he opened them, the laundry remained unchanged from where it sat before him. He bit his lip, distress beginning to settle in as he pondered what to do. Ultimately, he decided the best thing would be to ask Kun. So that’s what he did._ _

__Peeking into the kitchen, he nervously tapped his fingers against his thigh, hoping to catch his hyung’s attention. Soon enough after much fidgeting, Kun’s eyes finally landed on him. A smile was stretched across his face as he asked, “Jungwoo? Do you need something? We’re ready to eat now,”_ _

__The boy in question tugged at the hem of his shirt, unsure of how to respond._ _

__“Um...it’s about the laundry,”_ _

__Kun was still piling pizza onto his plate and handing napkins out to Ten and Lucas when he replied,_ _

__“Mm hmm, what about it?”_ _

__“You did say it was a white load, right?”_ _

__“I do think that’s what I said, yes,”_ _

__“Are you sure…” Jungwoo paused before going on, “it wasn’t a red load?”_ _

__That final sentence had Kun looking up, the smile fading from his face to be replaced by confusion. The conversation died away after Jungwoo’s words. As they all absorbed what had been said, no one noticed Lucas’ face change from beet red to white as a ghost, sliding down in his chair. He knew very well what happened when you mixed whites and reds in the wash, and the result was not good. Not good at all. His mistake was coming back to him and dread was now filling him from head to toe._ _

__“Yes...I’m pretty sure it was a white load, Jungwoo,” Kun came to this conclusion, as it seemed to him to be the only possible one. Shifting awkwardly, Jungwoo gestured to the laundry room door._ _

__“Maybe you should just come and check…”_ _

__So the two set off down the hall, pizza now forgotten while Ten tried to figure out why Lucas had suddenly grown so quiet. The younger waited anxiously, unsure of what would happen. The pair in the laundry room where quiet for a moment, and then there were a few soft exclamations from Kun. Things like _what?_ and _how?_ Soon enough, a shout tore through the otherwise quiet dorm, startling all within it.__

______“LUCAS! Come in here, please.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Exhaling shakily, Lucas managed to push himself up and out of his chair, ignoring the questioning look Ten sent him. He dragged himself down the hall, his every other instinct screaming at him to run and hide under his bed with the rest of the pizza. All too soon he reached the laundry room door and tentatively peeked inside. He cringed at what he saw; Kun standing next to a nervous looking Jungwoo, a now pink dress shirt clutched in his hand._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Did you do this?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Lucas wasn’t sure how or if he wanted to answer, but knew his hyung was expecting something. He scuffed his toe against the floor, looking anywhere other than Kun and the horrifically pink shirt. He didn’t need to see his hyung’s face to know that he was probably furious. Apparently he was taking too long to answer when Kun cleared his throat, tapping his foot against the floor. This spurred Lucas into motion as he mumbled,_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Well….not on purpose…”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Kun arched an eyebrow at that, clearly not satisfied._ _ _ _ _ _

______“How did it happen then?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Lucas was saved the embarrassment of explaining when Jungwoo gently tapped Kun on the shoulder, holding out the pair of damp red and white striped socks. Kun only nodded stiffly, taking them in hand as he examined the items he now possessed. Before he could ask any more questions, he was cut off by a shocked Ten exclaiming,_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Is that my shirt?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Lucas jumped when Ten appeared next to him in the doorway, having followed everyone into the laundry room to see what had happened. His nerves went through the roof as he began to inch away from his hyung, unable to gauge how he would react. Ten only stood there looking lost and confused, but the longer he looked at his newly ruined shirt, anger began to take over._ _ _ _ _ _

______“What did you do? That’s the new shirt I just bought, how could you have ruined it?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______The culprit who had pinkified it would have tried to tell the elder that he looked very nice in pink, but the shirt was not in good shape; it wasn’t an even pink tone. It ranged from white in some places to dark pink in others, all splotchy and like an awful patchwork quilt. Lucas had no idea how to respond, wringing his hands as he desperately tried to come up with something. When Ten turned on him he cowered and could only offer quiet apologies._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Hyung...I-I’m really sorry…”_ _ _ _ _ _

______While Ten continued to tell off his dongsaeng, Kun and Jungwoo were going through the rest of the clothing, seeing what could be salvaged. Thankfully, Ten’s shirt was the only one in the load, most of it being comprised of socks and hand towels, which could be replaced._ _ _ _ _ _

______Raising a hand, Kun cut off Ten mid-rant while Jungwoo loaded the clothes into the dryer; they might as well dry them anyway, no use in having a bunch of wet clothes lying around._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Here’s what we’re going to do. We are going to get rid of these clothes once they’re dry. Lucas, you are going to apologize to Ten for ruining his shirt, and to me and Jungwoo for ruining our towels and socks. Then, you will replace the shirt and the rest of the load when you can. I’ve told you not to put reds with whites in the wash before, right? Several times I’m sure, only the last time you did this, we were lucky you hadn’t started the washing machine. You heard me when we spoke about this last, right?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Yes, hyung, I heard you,” Lucas mumbled, eyes fixated on the floor._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Then next time, remember this and try not to let it happen again, okay? Please be more careful.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Ending his lecture on as positive note as he could, Kun waited for the younger’s response. The boy in the line of questioning nodded fervently, and began to make his litany of apologies, finally ending with Ten. Ten really wasn’t one to hold grudges or to get heated over little things, but he had really treasured this shirt. He had wanted to buy it for so long and been a ball of joy when he had finally been able to, it was his favorite shirt. Lucas figured it was only fair that he pay for a new one, and he had no problem doing so, he just hoped his hyung would have no lasting grievances against him. When he rushed out a lengthy apology, mixing many languages together in his present state of distress, he watched Ten’s face for any change in the rage that was set there. When he came to an end and took a deep breath, he looked down, waiting anxiously._ _ _ _ _ _

______“I forgive you,”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Head whipping up, Lucas’ mouth dropped open. He was sure Ten would be angry with him, maybe even hate him for awhile; but when he looked at his hyung, all he saw was a simply exasperated look. Ten saw the younger boy’s shock and sighed, shaking his head._ _ _ _ _ _

______“It’s okay Lucas, really. I know it wasn’t intentional, so it’s alright. Just make sure it doesn’t happen again, okay?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Lucas could only nod, dumbfounded at being forgiven so quickly. Ten gave him a weary grin and clapped him on the shoulder._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Alright, let's go eat then!”_ _ _ _ _ _

______He started off down the hall, already having put this matter behind him, with Jungwoo flashing him an apologetic smile as he followed. Lucas didn’t move until Kun reached up and ruffled his hair._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Come on Xuxi,” He coaxed the younger gently. “Everything is alright now, let’s go eat.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Lucas let himself be lead down the hall back into the kitchen, and the mood lifted tremendously with the help of friendly conversation and pizza. The meal was delicious, and Lucas loved every bite he took of it, and everyone else did too, even Kun. As the meal progressed, Lucas let go of his mistake as did everyone else, the conversation instead turning to what movie they should watch after their meal. Jungwoo and Lucas were rooting for watching Zootopia again, while Ten took Kun’s side in wanting to finally watch CoCo. While they bickered back and forth on what to watch, down the hall a draft blew into the laundry room once more. Jungwoo had opened the window and left out a small bowl of cat food for dinner while the laundry catastrophe was playing out. Minnie returned, hopping up onto the ledge, nosing at the yummy kibble. While she and the inhabitants of the dorm munched away, a pair of red and white striped socks sat on the window ledge, drying in the cool night air._ _ _ _ _ _

**Author's Note:**

> More Lucas as requested, here ya go! Hope you like it! Let me know what you think, and if you have any ideas let me know!


End file.
